1969/1996

In Conceptual Art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a Conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.--Sol LeWitt, 1967

When the Walker acquired Wall Drawing #9 A, it was in the form of diagrams, a certificate, and instructions. The certificate reads: "Two-part serial drawing. The wall or rectangle is divided vertically or horizontally into two parts. One part with vertical and horizontal lines superimposed, the other part with diagonal left and diagonal right lines superimposed. First drawn by Sol LeWitt and others. First installation: L'Attico Gallery, Rome, Italy, May 1969." Because Wall Drawing #9 B had not yet been installed, the certificate was not issued until after it was drawn onto the wall you see here. The work was created on-site by one of LeWitt's assistants with the help of Walker staff. The colors were specified by the artist and the pencil lines were covered with a varnish to protect them from being rubbed off.

The Walker's collection of LeWitt's work, begun in 1974, also includes two major modular sculptures (one installed on the terrace outside Gallery 8); X With Columns (1996) in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden; and the brilliantly colored wall drawing, Four Geometric Figures in a Room (1984), designed specifically for the vestibule area just outside the Walker's Lecture Room.